Any electricians on here?

[beeboybee]

I have a bunch of questions about running a power feed to a marquee for some PA and lights in the summer if anyone could help!!!

 

[oliver90owner]

beeboybee,

I'm not an electrician but running a feed to a marquee may be no problem. There again, where is it? Is it underground, overground or overhead supply? Or maybe standalone?

What you intend to do with it in this marquee is a different matter.

Rented marquee? Private or public?

Competance also comes into the equation, as does insurance liability, HSE, etc etc.

What you need is an electrician. Safety is not necessarily cheap, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Regards, RAB

 

[tonybloke]

I have a bunch of questions about running a power feed to a marquee for some PA and lights in the summer if anyone could help!!!

need more info!!

 

[RoofTops]

If you don't know what you're doing I suspect whatever insurance you think you have which might cover this event will be invalid.

However, if going it alone make sure you have some sort of ELCB and use proper outdoor standard cables - not the sort of extension leads used in the house. Any plugs and sockets also need to be of the appropriate outdoor standard - and so on.

I suggest speaking to the company you are hiring the tent from and get them to supply and fit.

Alternatively, hold the event in daylight!

 

[Hawklord]

I think you will need either a generator or transformer as it will have to be on 110 Volts.

 

[taff..]

beeboybee,

I'm not an electrician but running a feed to a marquee may be no problem. There again, where is it? Is it underground, overground or overhead supply? Or maybe standalone?

What you intend to do with it in this marquee is a different matter.

Rented marquee? Private or public?

Competance also comes into the equation, as does insurance liability, HSE, etc etc.

What you need is an electrician. Safety is not necessarily cheap, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Regards, RAB

What is the title of this here thread?

ANY ELECTFRICIANS ON HERE?

he already knows he need an electrician so why tell him what he already knows

 

[victor meldrew]

Hire a small genny 240v ac (or buy one) 1 kilowatt ones are dirt cheap and usually include an RCD (residual current device)..
Lighting requirements should be amply covered but if brewing facilities are needed ,then a bigger output genny will be required.

John Wilkinson

 

[peteinwilts]

I am not a sparky, but you need to think about the basics. I do quite a bit of electrical work on the farm (which then gets approved by a sparky!)

First you need to calculate your expected wattage.

If you plan to run a cable from your house (3 pin plug), you want to stay below 3000 watts. You cannot cheat and run a pair of long cables, unless they are from seperate circuits in your house.

If the expected wattage is too high, then you may need to run a new cable.

If you are setting up far away, then you still need the expected wattage and hire a generator to cope with the wattage.

If you are going for something close by and want to make a semi perminant fixture, or do it regularly, it could be worth dropping in a dedicated circuit using amoured cable with a fixed waterproof electrical point.

a bit of extra information would help!

Cheers
Pete

 

[oliver90owner]

he already knows he need an electrician so why tell him what he already knows

Try putting it in context. His question was not 'Is there an electrician on here to do the work?'

Even an electrician on here will tell him to get an electrician, I would think. Giving a quote from the regs is one thing, but any possible error of information over the net, any suggestion that an electrician suggested or assisted he do it himself (by giving instructions) might be construed as negligence in litigation these days. Sorry but if the poster is not sure of what the task entails, competance might be an issue if things go wrong. My advice stands. Get an electrician.

RAB

 

[victor meldrew]

I think you will need either a generator or transformer as it will have to be on 110 Volts.

Really?.
Only if it's regarded as a building site !
Then yes 240/110v transformer centre tapped to earth would be required, ensuring a person could only come into contact with 55v to earth .

John Wilkinson

 

[peteinwilts]

he already knows he need an electrician so why tell him what he already knows

Try putting it in context. His question was not 'Is there an electrician on here to do the work?'

Even an electrician on here will tell him to get an electrician, I would think. Giving a quote from the regs is one thing, but any possible error of information over the net, any suggestion that an electrician suggested or assisted he do it himself (by giving instructions) might be construed as negligence in litigation these days. Sorry but if the poster is not sure of what the task entails, competance might be an issue if things go wrong. My advice stands. Get an electrician.

RAB

Good advice and very true!

If beeboybee was competent and comfortable with electrics, he would not have asked the question in the first place therefore a local electrician is the right place to go... legally and safely, it is the right thing to do.

 

[Hawklord]

Really?.
Only if it's regarded as a building site !
Then yes 240/110v transformer centre tapped to earth would be required, ensuring a person could only come into contact with 55v to earth .

John Wilkinson

Yes, really! All band equipment including PA's should be on 110 Volts. Mind you I'm only a drummer so what do I know?

 

[victor meldrew]

Pas/electro audio systems are governed by separate regulations brought about by the not infrequent tragedies of the past , when untested unmaintained equipment was hauled around the country willy nilly ! Pet regs are also in place for all portable electrically operated equipment. these apply where ever the equipment is to be used , temporary as well as permanent buildings.

John Wilkinson

 

[lazybee]

Hire a genny plug in and off you go Simples

 

[beeboybee]

ooh opened a hornets nest here!!!
should clear a few things up its a private party so no paying guests, not going too use a generator as a engine chugging away seems daft when there is power nearby.
i have been in touch with a local electrician who is going to put a 32amp socket in the farm workshop which was a 32amp ring main? already. and has suggested that a 50mtr run of cable will be no problem.
going to hire some circuit breaker feed with the marquee to be safe.
hopfully it will be a good party!

thanks again

 

[oliver90owner]

Presumably you are using wire armoured cable of, say, 45 amp rating or running 'cooker' sized cable (5 mm squared section) in a protected conduit, if not suspended from an overhead catenary.

Just don't expect 2.5 square mm conductors to carry 10kW!

I seriously doubt that you will be considering consuming that amount of power, but it is easy to plug something in and fry the cable! The in-going circuit breaker should make that safe.

It sounds like you are hiring the marquee? The hirer will be insured (I would think) as long you explicitly comply with their requirements....

A 13 amp extension cable may be at, or over, it's limit over 50m. I would need to check that out. If you are limited to say a 5A supply that would be fine, but we still don't know what your loading might be. Remember all your earth conductors back to the supply outlet, etc etc etc. Pay that electrician to check it out.

Regards, RAB

 

[plumber]

looks like you would need 10mm SQ cable for that run using pvc swa cable with 30millamp RCD at supply

have a play with this calculator

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Technic...230&length=50&submit=Calculate+Min+Cable+Size

 

[beeboybee]

marquee hir are supplying the cable something called artic cable? no 13amp plugs big blue connecters cable looked pretty chunky! will be running it along the top of a hedge so no chance of tripping up on it

 

[peteinwilts]

arctic cable is just frost and UV proof. It comes in a variety of sizes..

 

[Somerford]

10kw ?

When we installed our new cooker we calculated (as it didn't say so on the instructions) it would need a cable capable of taking 14kw if we had everything on. A very thick cable !!!